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Netanyahu shifts strategy

Jerusalem, Sept. 13, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing on COVID-19 pandemic in Israel at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020. Israel will reimpose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, beginning on Friday, to slow a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections, the government decided on Sunday. (Yoav Dudkevitch/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)

Netanyahu urged Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right pro-settler Yamina party, and Gideon Sa’ar, leader of the right-wing New Hope party, to help him put together a coalition…reports Asian Lite News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on his right-wing rivals to join forces to form a right-wing government coalition under his leadership.

In his first remarks since the March 23 inconclusive elections, Netanyahu on Wednesday urged Naftali Bennett, leader of the far-right pro-settler Yamina party, and Gideon Sa’ar, leader of the right-wing New Hope party, to help him put together a coalition, reports Xinhua news agency.

“It is time to put our differences behind us,” he said in a televised statement.

According to Netanyahu, together with allied parties and Yamina and New Hope, he could form a coalition of 65 members and gain a firm majority in the 120-member Parliament.

Naftali Bennett(Twitter)

“Let’s form a stable right-wing government that would last for years,” the long-time leader said.

Sa’ar however, has rejected Netanyahu’s call.

The New Hope’s main campaign promise was to replace Netanyahu.

On Wednesday night, Sa’ar repeated his promise and said he will not join a government with Netanyahu as Prime Minister.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Reuven Rivlin called for “unusual collaboration” in forming a new government to solve the country’s lingering political stalemate.

The elections on March 23, Israel’s fourth in two years, ended once again with no clear winner.

Also read:Political logjam continues in Israel

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Political logjam continues in Israel

Its officially declared that Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its allies won 52 seats in the 120-seat parliament as opposition garnered 57…reports Asian Lite News

The final results of Israel’s parliamentary elections held earlier this week revealed another stalemate, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents both fell short of a majority to form a government.

The Central Elections Committee, which oversees the elections, said in a statement that Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its allies won 52 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while opponents of the country’s longest serving Prime Minister garnered 57, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Likud won 30 seats, down from 36 in the previous elections.

The centrist party of Yesh Atid, led by former Finance Minister Yair Lapid, won 17 seats, becoming the second-largest party.

On Thursday, Lapid held series of meetings in a bid to form a coalition government.

But in the Israeli system, the government is formed by the candidate who manages to put together a majority coalition of at least 61 seats.

Netanyahu has secured three supporter parties, which won six, seven and nine seats, respectively.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

He also hopes to win the support of his former ally, Naftali Bennett, leader of Yamina, a pro-settler party that won seven seats.

Ra’am, an Islamist party, won four seats, becoming the balance of power between a Netanyahu-led coalition or a government led by his opponents.

Also read:Israel to seal West Bank, Gaza crossings

Ra’am party leader Mansur Abbas said on Wednesday that he doesn’t rule out sitting in any coalition.

Before Tuesday’s elections, which were the fourth in two years, Netanyahu said he will not rule out a coalition with Ra’am.

Mansour Abbas

Blue and White, a centrist party and Netanyahu’s partner in his current power-sharing government, won eight seats.

New Hope, a right-wing party formed recently by former allies of Netanyahu, won six seats.

Next week, President Reuven Rivlin is expected to officially receive the election results.

Then, he will launch a series of consultations with heads of the factions, after which the president will announce who will be tasked with attempting to form the next government.

The elections were held following a series of indecisive results and prolonged political deadlock.

Netanyahu is struggling for his political survival while facing a criminal trial over corruption charges in three separate cases.

Also read:Netanyahu claims win in Israeli polls

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Netanyahu lacks majority as count goes on

Issrael moves towards a political deadlock amid Netanyahu’s bloc lacks majority…reports Asian Lite News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may struggle to secure enough seats in Parliament to stay in power, incomplete results of Tuesday’s election suggested, even as he claimed victory in the country’s fourth elections in two years.

His announcement came within two hours of exit polls on Israel’s main three TV channels which indicated no immediate winner in the unprecedented elections amid a prolonged political deadlock.

“A huge victory to the right-wing and the Likud (party) under my leadership,” Netanyahu wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said his right-wing Likud party is “by far” the largest party in Israel, after the polls suggested it won about 31 seats.

With about 90 per cent of votes counted, his right-wing bloc is course to win 59 seats – two short of the threshold, the BBC reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

In a surprise development, an Arab party which is projected to win five seats could hold the balance of power.

The final outcome will among other things determine the course of Israel’s relations with the Palestinians.

The Arab party, Raam, has not declared whether it will support the efforts of Netanyahu – an unnatural ally – to form a government or those of the bloc opposed to him remaining in office.

Also read:Netanyahu due in Bahrain

Those parties have garnered 56 seats, according to the latest tally, and although backing from Raam could give them a sufficient number to form a government, they are fragmented and unlikely to be able to agree to work together.

If neither grouping can form a majority coalition, the country could face its fifth general election since April 2019.

Israel’s electoral system, a form of proportional representation, makes it almost impossible for a single party to win an election outright.

Ballot papers in Nesher(Wikipedia)

Based on the latest results, to stay in office, Netanyahu would need to secure the support of both Raam and a small right-wing nationalist party, Yamina.

Like Raam, Yamina’s leader, Naftali Bennett, has not announced which side he will throw his weight behind.

“I will do only what is good for the State of Israel,” he said after the voting ended on Tuesday night.

He added that he had told Netanyahu that Yamina would await the final results before deciding on its next steps.

Also read:Netanyahu claims win in Israeli polls

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Netanyahu claims win in Israeli polls

“A huge victory to the right-wing and the Likud (party) under my leadership,”said Netanyahu…reports Asian Lite News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in the country’s fourth elections in two years.

The announcement came fewer than two hours after exit polls on Israel’s main three TV channels indicated no immediate winner in the unprecedented elections amid a prolonged political deadlock.

“A huge victory to the right-wing and the Likud (party) under my leadership,” Netanyahu wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said his right-wing Likud party is “by far” the largest party in Israel, after the polls suggested it won about 31 seats.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their ballots(Twitter)
Also read:‘Israel’s skewed measures won’t bring peace’

“It is obvious that a clear majority of the citizens of Israel are right-wing and they want a stable and strong right-wing government that will take care of Israel’s economy and security,” Netanyahu added.

In a bid to form a government coalition, Netanyahu talked over the phone with leaders of three right-wing parties that already vowed to join a coalition under his leadership. Exit polls projected that they have won some 53-54 seats together.

Naftali Bennet, leader of the pro-settler Yamina party, said he also held a talk over the phone with Netanyahu.

Polls projected Yamina won about seven seats. If Bennet, a former close ally of Netanyahu, will decide to join the longtime leader’s coalition, they could form a coalition of 61 seats in the 120-seat parliament.

Also read:Israel to seal West Bank, Gaza crossings